Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. had found out only moments before he met with the media Monday afternoon about the death of former NBA star Dikembe Mutombo. When he was first asked about the Hall of Famer, Jackson gave a quick answer before going back and talking for more than two minutes about the NBA legend’s impact on his life.
Jackson had known Mutombo — who died of brain cancer at age 58 — since he was a small child. His father, Jaren Jackson Sr., was Mutombo’s roommate at Georgetown.
“I knew him my whole life,” an emotional Jaren Jackson Jr. said. “It’s not a good feeling. I got to call my dad.
“He had a lot of impact on my life. That’s really somebody who was in my corner before I was ever good at basketball for real. He was always telling me how much more gifted I was offensively, even when I was younger and I wasn’t as gifted offensively as I am now.”
Mutombo maintained a relationship with the younger Jackson, who said the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year would always check on him, curse him out or even talk trash.
The obvious basketball connection between Jackson and Mutombo is their ability to block shots. Jackson, who was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, has led the NBA in blocks twice — something Mutombo accomplished three times in his 18-year career.
But their relationship went beyond defense and basketball.
“It’s real personal,” he said. ” . . . He changed everyone’s life who he was he around.”
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. on death of NBA great Dikembe Mutombo
